Shenny
by fangjakeridelovesme
Summary: Just some changes I've thought would be nice in the story line. This is just the first season. Each chapter number correlates to the episode number.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It is extremely informative to have watched the entirety of season one to understand most of what's going on. I shall attempt to explain and summarize as I go along, but I tend to forget important details when focused. All italics material is the work of the producers, not my own. Consider this my citation.

"_Is there a trick to getting it to switch from tub to shower?_" Penny called from down the hall. I sighed as I watched Howard stand immediately. I stepped closer, wondering if I should head him off now, or watch and wait.

"_Enchante Mademoiselle. Howard Wolowitz, Cal-Tech department of Applied Physics. You may be familiar with some of my work, it's currently orbiting Jupiter's largest moon taking high-resolution digital photographs._"

"_Penny. I work at the Cheesecake Factory_." Okay, time to crush his hopes and dreams. I didn't want him scaring her away. She seemed nice, in an average person kind of way.

"I'll get it working for you," I said, putting my mug down and walking past her.

"Thanks." She followed me into the bathroom and stood on the other side of the small room while I jiggled the knob.

I will admit that I got a tad too excited when, on the first day of meeting my new neighbor, Penny showed interest in my equations. I tried to tell her what they meant and show her I had a sense of humor, as well, but I could see she didn't really get it. I will also affirm that I should not have leaned so…flirtily, for lack of a better word, against my board. I realized what I had done as soon as it happened and I rectified my position instantly, but Leonard had taken her attention. However, in my defense, she complimented me on my intellect, something no one had done recently. It had been well established that I was a genius and nobody felt the need to congratulate me on that fact any longer.

I could almost forgive Penny for sitting in my seat. It's not like she knew what she had done. I was able to manage finding a new base for a short while before she became upset and vacated it.

I had even attempted to 'chat' like Leonard had suggested. I did everything he said to do. I thought I did very well responding to her stimulus as Leonard explained earlier. When I thought I might insult her, I deliberately chose not to speak. I shut up when it was apparent that I may have insulted her, had she understood what I said. I tried to keep Leonard from making her any more upset over her ex-boyfriend, Kurt, even though he didn't listen to me.

And when Penny mentioned her shower was not operative, I put aside my own feelings and pretended to agree with Leonard when he said it was not weird for her to shower in our apartment, even if we were barely more than strangers.

And I should not have assisted her when she asked for my help retrieving her TV from her psychotic ex-boyfriend.

"Sheldon, do you remember the guy we were just talking about? My ex?" Penny asked once she was safely behind the Periodic Table shower curtain we used.

"Yes," I said, confused where the conversation was going.

"Well, he still has my TV and I was hoping that you and Leonard might be able to get it for me. Every time I go over there by myself, he tries to hit on me and get me back." I sighed.

"Um, Penny—"

"It's okay if you don't want to. I barely know you two."

"Well, I'm not sure if Leonard will be much help. I don't want him to get beaten up. I'd have to drive him home and he gets carsick when he's not driving," I said. "Why don't I go with you the next time you go to try to convince him?" I winced immediately after the words left my mouth. What had I said?

"Oh, thank you," she said, relief evident in her voice. "That means a lot to me."

"Yes, well, I'll be in the living room if you need me." I nearly ran from the room.

When Penny decided to go to her exboyfriend's a few days later, I almost said no, but Leonard reminded me that Spock never reneged on his promises. I grudgingly followed her out to her car. When we arrived at his apartment building, Penny talked to him on the intercom and asked for permission to go up, but she did not tell him she was accompanied. He let us up immediately.

"Okay, Sheldon," she said as we walked up the stairs together. "You're just here to keep him from being a total ass. Please don't upset him. He can get…vicious."

"Don't worry. I spent years as a child running from bully's. I'll be able to get away before he does real damage." She turned to look at me for a second, confused.

She knocked on the door to his apartment. We stood there for a moment and I had a flash of hope that he wouldn't answer. Instead, the doorknob turned slowly and I prayed he was an invalid. Then I wouldn't have to run away like a dog with his tail between his legs.

The man who opened the door was definitely not ill. He stood a few inches taller than me and twice as wide. Instantly, the man puffed up like an angry animal, making me feel even more minuscule.

"Hi, Kurt," Penny said, shifting her weight awkwardly.

"Who's this guy?" the man asked.

"I'm a scientist," I said, trying to prove myself above him, despite my own feelings.

"He's my new boyfriend," Penny exclaimed quickly. I glanced at her in shock. Where was she going with this? What was she doing?

"You left me and got with him?" Kurt asked, surprised.

"Yeah. He hasn't cheated on me and he doesn't get drunk every night. He's smart, too."

"He's a scientist. So?"

"He's a physicist." I looked at her.

"Good job for remembering," I said.

"Thank you."

"How the hell is he better than me? He probably can't even pick up your TV. He looks like a big bug."

"If you're not going to be nice, I'll just sue you for it."

"Yeah, right. You wouldn't sue me." He laughed louder than he needed to. It sounded like he was nervous.

"Yes, I would. I'm tired of this." After a short argument, ended by Penny promising to kick him in the testicles, Kurt returned the TV to her, forcing us to carry it down the stairs ourselves. He slammed the door shut the moment we left the doorway.

"Penny, how are we going to get this down there?"

"Um, carry it? What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I can't carry it."

"But you can help me."

"I can?"

"Just, grab that end, please." She leaned down on the other side of the electronic and I swallowed hard. The shirt she'd chosen to wear revealed enough cleavage to keep me from being able to look away. "Sheldon? Please." I sighed and mirrored her position. We barely managed to get the TV down the stairs and into her car.

Before I could get into the vehicle, Penny ran up to me and hugged me, squealing in excitement. I froze and uncomfortably patted her on the back.

"I'll pay for dinner tonight, okay? It's all on me. Thank you so much!" She practically skipped to the driver's side and laughed the entire way home.

When I commented that we would have to 'spell everything out for this girl', I wasn't frustrated with her. I was merely making an observation.

I even attempted to undermine Leonard's feelings for Penny by installing doubt of a budding relationship in his mind.

I, Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D., was surrounded by a group of scientists who average IQ was over 180 and they could not see that I was bewitched by this woman.


	2. Chapter 2

It was taking Leonard an abnormally long time to bring back the Thai food. I was wondering where he could have gone to when a knock sounded on the door. I glanced around at the other two men in the room and shrugged. It was strange Leonard would knock. Maybe he locked himself out again. I stood and opened the door, expecting to see Styrofoam containers falling around me. I raised my eyebrows when I saw it was Penny.

_"Hey, Sheldon," Penny said, looking around me. "Hey, Raj. Howard." Raj's eyes wandered around the room, avoiding her. "Still can't talk to me, huh?"_

_ "Don't take it personally. It's his pathology. He can't talk to women," I said._

_"He can't talk to attractive women," Howard revised. "Or, in your case, a cheesecake-scented Goddess." I gave him a look of derision and turned back to Penny._

"Penny, why did you come over?" I asked, ignoring Howard.

"Oh, well, I'm going to have some furniture delivered, but I work tomorrow, so I won't be here when they bring it."

"Okay…"

"I was wondering if you guys could maybe sign for it for me. Just have them put it in my apartment."

"Well, I don't see why not."

Just then, Leonard came bounding up the stairs with our food.

"What took you so long?" I asked.

"There was a long line. Hi, Penny," he said.

"Hi, Leonard. So, Sheldon, they said between two and four in the afternoon."

"I'll be sure to await their arrival."

"Um, okay. Here's my key and my cellphone number. Just in case something goes wrong. See ya." She turned to walk away, but was stopped by Leonard calling her name.

"_If you don't have any other plans, do you want to join us for Thai food and a Superman movie marathon?"_

_ "A marathon? Wow, how many Superman movies are there?"_

_ I leaned around Leonard. "You're kidding, right?" I stared at her as she continued talking. How could she not know that?_

_ "I do like the one where Lois Lane falls from the helicopter and Superman swooshes down and catches her. Which one was that?"_

_ "One," we all said together. Except for Raj. He just held up a finger._

I felt obligated to point out all the scientific inaccuracies, but decided to keep my mouth shut. We were all aware of them and, sometimes, it wasn't worth the effort of explaining things to Penny. Watching the Superman movies with her didn't sound like such a bad idea. Leonard and Howard debated the validity of Kryptonian skin cells while Penny stood before us, awkwardly.

_"I'm just going to go wash up," _Penny said as she backed away from them.

"Now, hold on, Penny. I'm sure we can offer more anti-bacterial soap and hygienic products than you can. Why don't you just come in and use ours? I'm sure they'll end their argument soon." I grabbed the door from Raj before he let it close completely and held it open for her.

Shortly after Penny commented that she was getting tired and wanted to return to her apartment, she fell asleep. That in itself wouldn't have been an issue had she not chosen to do so on top of me. And I may have been able to deal with THAT were she not a "cuddler", as Leonard so eloquently put it. It took the combined efforts of Leonard, Wolowitz, and I to carry her back into her apartment.

The next afternoon, Leonard and I struggled to carry her shipping box up to the fourth floor. Honestly, who expects two scientists to be able to lift a hundred-pound box of unassembled furniture up eight flights of stairs? But that wasn't the highlight of the trip. The state of Penny's apartment suggested that she was well on her way to incurable hording. I was seconds away from reorganizing her magazine collection when she appeared down the hallway.

I wondered how long it would have taken us to carry it had Penny been there to assist us.

_"Hey, guys. Did you have any trouble getting it up the stairs?" she asked._

_ "No," Leonard said, adopting what I call his Sarcastic-Lying face._ I rolled my eyes at him.

"Do you guys have anything planned for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah. I've got to take Howard to the hospital for his yearly checkup. He has all the necessary x-rays and urine tests to do," Leonard said, trying to make the trip to the doctor sound important. "He thinks that some disease will sneak up and kill him and he _really_ wants to outlive his mother."

"Ha, okay?" She turned to me and I almost stepped backward in fear. "What about you Sheldon? Are you doing anything today?"

"Why do you ask?" I said, cautiously. I felt as though I should make excuses and abandon the room quickly, but Leonard has made it clear over the years that friends always help their friends.

"I don't know if I'll be able to set up this up by myself. I was wondering if you could help me put it together."

I sighed. "I suppose. I might be able to help, but I don't have much upper body strength."

"Oh, that'll be fine. I'm sure we'll be able to work it out."

About ten minutes later, I discovered that we would have to move some things around in order to fit the entertainment center in her apartment. Which gave me an excuse to organize and clean the living room.

"Penny," I said, turning to get her attention. I noticed she was bent over the box, pulling out a small bag of screws. I had never before understood why Wolowitz was so obsessed with women's backsides. I now understand.

"Yeah?" she asked. I shook my head and refocused on our task.

"This is not going to fit in here."

"What?" She stood up and walked over to the directions, where I had laid them on her kitchen table.

"The dimensions are too large. The space you set aside is too small. We're going to have to move something around."

"But I like it the way it is. Isn't there some way—"

"No. I've analyzed all the options." That wasn't necessarily the truth. There were a few other things we could do, but I wanted to fix the room. "I can get it to fit very well."

Penny looked up at me for a second, clearly debating whether or not she wanted to trust me with her belongings. "Sure, I guess. Just don't break anything."

"I promise."

I rubbed my hands together, excited that I was able to organize again.

For the next two hours, Penny mostly sat on her couch, watching me work. I explained my need for organizational schematics and she seemed to understand. We managed to fit the shelves against the wall across from her couch. It worked out very well.

At exactly 2:03 in the morning, I found I had forgotten to clean her bedroom. I sat up in bed immediately, preparing to run there and fix it, but I couldn't wake either Penny or Leonard. I didn't know how they'd react. So, I quietly left my apartment and snuck across the hall to Penny's. I had just opened her bedroom door when I heard the snores stop and my name being called.

"Sheldon?"

I ducked my head in apology.

"What are you doing in my room?" She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, I forgot to organize your closet."

"What?"

"I forgot to—"

"I heard you. I don't get what you mean."

"I planned on organizing the clothes in your closet, but I didn't remember before I left."

We stared at each other for a minute in silence. Suddenly, she rolled over.

"Oh, what the hell. Just don't wake me up again, okay?"

"Agreed." I slowly stepped across the clothes-strewn floor. As I opened the door, I heard another voice whispering from her living room.

"Sheldon?" Oh, Lord. "Sheldon, where are you?" Leonard glanced into Penny's bedroom and saw me standing there, the closet door halfway open. "Sheldon! You need to go. What if Penny wakes up?"

"I'm already awake," she said, sitting up again.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I try to keep him inside at night. He likes to terrorize the local villages when he gets out." Penny laughed a little.

"No, it's okay. I told him he could clean it out. Just go back to bed. And get me the key to your apartment tomorrow morning. It's only fair." She curled up on her side again and proceeded to ignore us.

"Goodnight, Leonard."

"Goodnight, Sheldon."


End file.
